September 2012

October 2nd and it appears I have my metaphorical shit together early (by my standards) LOL

It's school holidays here and I am grabbing a rare quiet moment when the kids are playing in their rooms. Should I be worried that they're so quiet? hmmm...

Ok so September has been full on, I've been to  school assemblies, a sports carnival, the state final for the Wakakirri competition (storytelling through dance for school children), kiddy birthday parties, a work sundowner for Hubby (man those guys know how to party!) adult birthday dinners and football (Aussie rules & Rugby league) grand final BBQs ( sadly neither of Hubby's teams won).

I weeded my garden almost single-handedly, Hubby did one area but I did the rest over a period of weeks and I've planted a few (hopefully water hardy) plants.

Hubby's Nan came to visit which was bittersweet,  it is always lovely to see her and unfortunately we don't have the opportunity to see her often as she lives interstate but she is 87 and we are never quite sure if when we see her, it will be the last time. Nan herself, treated this visit a bit differently, like it was her last and it was hard to say goodbye.

So it has been just a bit mental! I think I was looking forward to this lot of school hols far more than the kids, if only for the fact that I didn't have to get out of bed so damned early! The downfall unfortunately is that there is very little "me" time to be had during the day but I am resolved to sneak in a little here and there hehe

We also made a huge decsion (for us) and booked flights for a family holiday in Bali next year. For Perth residents, Bali is a relatively close and cheap overseas holiday option. It worked out cheaper than flying interstate to visit my parents and we really REALLY need a decent break away where the trip is not spent visiting. I don't know about you but visiting family with all the issues and baggage that comes along with it is not considered a true holiday in my book.

Bali provides a holiday where we and the kids can all enjoy something.  I have been hesitant for a long time about Bali due to the bombings in 2002 that targeted tourists and the last time I was there (1998) it was very different to what I hear it is now from people who go regularly. Hubby went on a boys trip there this year for 4 nights and gave it the thumbs up. He knows how paranoid and fussy I can be and still thinks it's a great idea.

I can't tell you what a difference it makes to have something like this to look forward to :) :) :)

My big bit of excitement re: me time was that I really got stuck into my writing, I have been alternating between tweaking my outline and writing scenes that I see clearly in my head. I had a close friend read what I had of my outline early in the month (or was it late August???). She gave me a lot of encouragement and food for thought. Since then as new ideas have come and storyline flaws have become apparent, I have modified the outline. It is still evolving but I like where it's heading :)

And I've managed to sneak in a few movies etc so here's what I've been watching / reading...

Films

The Avengers
I was a bit worried that it would be all  action and nothing else but it was really cool. I loved the snippets of humour they worked into it. The Hulk was great :)

Men In Black 3
No disappointments here, the story was really great. Very funny, double thumbs up :)

Dark Shadows
I was so disappointed with this movie, even the funny bits weren't that funny especially since they had all been shown in the trailer. I honestly thought I would like it because of the Johnny Depp / Tim Burton combo but I didn't :(

Snow White and the Huntsman
Kristen Stewart starring as Snow White held me back from watching this for so long and my instinct was right. I hated her in it, I really did. Don't get me wrong she wasn't the only thing wrong with this film, the ending left a lot to be desired in the way on lack of action, suspense and wrapping it up in a good old fashioned happy ending. I did like Chris Hemsworth's character though and do concede that in this particular version of the tale he was too old to end up with Snow White but this film seriously fizzled at the end. :/

The Lucky One
I finally got around to watching this film as well and sadly it left me a bit meh, just like the novel. I did like Zac Efron in it (love a man with big blue eyes and long lashes) but the lead characters just weren't very engaging. :/


TV

Doctor Who
He's back and I love him. Man those weeping angels scare the bejeebus out of me!

Sons of Anarchy Season 5
whoa! so far this season has me watching (or rather peeking) through my hands. it has been so brutal yet I can't help but keep watching.


Reading

Power (Book 4 in Souls Savers) by Kristie Cook
I have really been looking forward to reading this  :)
I've left the honeymoon period with this series now (not a bad thing!). At the beginning of this series it was all about the love story for me and I was unable to put the book down. Now the story has matured; in some ways Alexis and Tristan's relationship is like any married couple which is cool and makes them very relatable and now the storyline focuses more on their adventure. So the story is still working for me, it's keeping me interested by branching out and developing other characters but also by painting a vivid picture of a world that I can picture as being 'real'.  Throw in a twist or two in the plot and I'm still hooked :)

And that's it peeps, hope you're all well x